Temperature and pressure relief valve



Oct. 9, 1928. 1,687,209

F. M. HOLMES TEMPERATURE AND PRESSURE RELIEF VALVE Filed April 9, 1927 NTA f y/f W INI/ENTOR. AM MM 'Z/ ATTORNEYS.

Patented Oct. 9, 1928.

UNI/Ien STATES PATENT orifice,

FREDERICK 1yr. Bomans, or SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, AssIGNon To TItYo'o,

PRODUCTS, Ine.,` or WESIFIELD; Mass CHUSETTS.

AGHUSEITS, A CORPORATION or' MASSA,-

TEM'PERATURE Alti-QDy PRESSURE RELIEF VALVE."

Application 1edA-ApIi11-9, 1927. Serial No.`182,507. i

This invention.- relates tocan? improved strncture'ior safety valves.- Valves of this general type are usually used in hot Water heating systems to open the sy against excessive pressur They are also used in a great number o'r analogous systems or structure.

according tothe present invention, a safety valve is provided, having improved :tea-

tures oi construction. @ne ot these` featuresrelates to the manner in which the operating parts are' related to the valve casing so as to be contained Whol v Within the. casing and yetpermit the convenient adjustment ot the parts. from Without the casing. An-V and the convenience o'treneavinro` t-he'expendable part or fusible plug from Without'thef This temperature controlled relief casing.

hasV other improvedy details 'ot con,-

struction that will be bestfunderstood-nfrom` the following description and annexed claims.

1n the 'accompanying drawings- Fig. 1 is an exterior vien7 or the valve;

Fig'. 2 is a sectional view oi the valve with the details ot' the pressure operable release means arranged to indicate their nat-ure` and order oit assembly;

Fig. 3 isa sectional view ot the valve-taken at right angles to Fig. 1 soy as to show all the parts, including the temperature controlled relief means in position;

Fig. l is a detail section online 1 -l of Y Fig- 2- with a part of the sprmgfadJustingmeans shown in position therein; and- Fig. 5 is a side view ot' one of thecartridges tor holding the itusible plug for, the temperature controlled release means.A

The details oi construction and 'assembly will now bedescribed, referring to the drawings: central portion and cylindrical portionsffor tem asa relief The valvecasing 1 has an enlarged an inlet poi-t2, drain port 3, and an open'- ing at the top in alignment .vvith' the. inlet port and throughvwhich portion 5 the movableparts ot the valve may be inserted', Thev mainfval've seat Sis provided at thetop ofa tubular extension l Within the enlarged por'- tion of theI valve casing.r rlfhe valve closure 6 is providedivith a dependingsquared guiding member 9, the rounded corners ofwhich VContactV With the Walls ot the extension t to guide the val-ve closure 6 inits'u-p and down movements. A rubber or other suitablev gasliet 7 is provided lon thevalve closure 6 tol make goed contact withr valve seat 8'. rEhe` coiled spring 10` rests ,on topof the valve closure 6 and extends up, centrallyl Within the portion 3y ot the valve. casing.Vv vThe portion 5 is provided as shovvny With an`A exterior thread to receive cap16.- A spring adjusting means -is provided for cooperationvvv withV the cap 16. It consists'in. al threadedstem v1a;-

the thread QO'ot'vfhichis a-'left'handed thread' it the thread19 of-th'escap 16`- is a right handed:` thread..` or? vice versa for ai purpose to lbe described'. i

The stem 14kr hasta-stened atf the top,;asV by anintegral member 15,-wa. disc-#onv plate;` 'which isf provided at its Vcenterwith ahead 1S having. aslotftherein,in;order thatathe steml 111 may; be tairnedA The c'ap16` has; afl

central'opening-1f(- through Whichthe head 18 extendsfjust faLr-,er'iough so-,as'tofbe conveniently manipulated 'by al screw 'dri-ver. y

Threaded onathe stemv 111-15 provide a. disc 12 adapted to bear on-` the topvr of the; lspring, 10. This disc 12 is provided ,With-diametri# These ears lid-are adapted to engage the vertical slots- 1'1/ on theyinteriorof ther portion `5 of the valve casing at the top thereotvV Nithp this arrangement, 'the turning of Vlhead 15fwill cause the disc 12 to move up and down in the portion -5 of thevalve casing'and without turning, provided ythe dise 15 is. held inposition by the cap 16 and. the", ears 13 enga-ge .slots 11, as-'W-il'l be describedi I provide an interior circular shoulder-'21 j ust 'below ot the valve casing. The distnceotshoul- 'der 21v belowthe upper edgev of'plortion 5 is -less than the thioknessoffdiso15,softhat the latter Ina-y rest'onthe-Shoulder 21 as 1a,

support and alwaysfextend'aboveportion 5, Byf this lconsi:ruCtiOIrthec ap Vlf3-[When screwed the" upper edgefof the portion 5fy Lll on portion 6 may be't-urned down so as to lock the disc 15 and thus the stem 14 in position, which it does by pressing it against thev shoulder 21. In this action of locking the disc 15 on the shoulder, the turning of the cap 16 will not turn the stem 14 because the threads of 14 are opposite to the threads of cap 16. The parts just described `are shown all spread out in Fig. 2 and all asseinbled in Fig. 3.

In Fig. 8 I show the temperature controlled means for relieving .the pressure at the inlet port independently of the operation of the valve closure 6. Thisl means consists in a cartridge 24 which has the same general contour, shape, and construct-ion as a revolver cartridge. The space that would ordinarily be used for the powder is left free and the fusible metal 27 at the end of the cartridge corresponds with the bullet. The interior space of the cartridge has an opening 25 so that when the fusible metal 27 melts, the

passage may be through the cartridge at the end and out through the side as indicated in` Fig. 3.

In the interior tubular extension 4 of the valve casing, at the upper end of which the valve seat 8 is located, I provide a lateral opening 26 which has a valve seat adapted to receive the fusible met-al 27 as its valve closure. The cartridge 24 has its head provided with a screw thread which engages the threads in an opening aligned with opening 26 and provided in the exterior walls of the valve casing 1. With this'construction I can close the opening 26 by the cartridge 24 in a most effective manner by driving the cartridge with its soft nosed fusible metal nose against the valve seat of opening 26 by turning the cartridge home with a screw driver from the exterior of the valve casing.

' By reason ofthe factthat the valve-closure for the opening 26 is of soft metal and can be turned down hard by a screw driver, they character of the valve seat does not need to be so carefully guarded because the soft metal will always find a seat by the manner in which it is forced into position. It is quite important in structures of this character to make surethat the by-pass valve is at all times tight except when the metal melts to open it. I believe I am the first to provide a temperature controlled by-pass valve byv suchsimple and effective means as the cartridge construction which is illustrated.

lIn all temperature controlled valves in lwhich the valve or by-pass is opened by means of the metal melting, it is a matter of considerable convenience to provide for ,renewing the fusible metal after it has once melted out in the structure. vlli/Iy construction as shown provides particularly convene ient means for this purpose. As an additional matter of convenience, I provide a barrel holder 22v for a supply of cartridges.

This holder is of the same general construction as the cylinderl of an old-fashioned revolver. Itis held in position on the side of s the valve casing 1 by means of a headed screw 23. In addition to the cartridge which is in position to close the by-pass, there are Shown five other cartridges carried by the holder.

The cylinder iscut away at one portion as"V indicated by the line 30 in VIi ig. 1, and the opening 31in Fig. 3. i

Ihen it is desired to renew aI cartridge,y

the old one with its nose melted out is unscrewed with the parts in the position shown in the drawings. The screw 23 is loosened and the cartridge holder turned around so that one ofthe new cartridges is aligned with the opening 26. 'Ihen the new cartridge can be turned into the opening through the valve casing` 1 by a screw driver which turns the new cartridge iii the threads of the holder, indicated at 38 in Fig. 3, until the s threaded head of the cartridge leaves the thread 33. at which time the noseof the cartridge will be well on its way toward the opening 2 6, and then by merely pushing the screw driver and continuing to turn it after the threads of the cartridge reach .the threadsiii the valve casing 1, the cartridge may be firmly driven toits functioning position.

The general operation of the pressure controlled-relief means will now be described.

With the parts shown most clearly in F ig. Y

2 all assembled as shown in Fig. 3, the safety yalve lis attached to the system or structure in which it is to be used so that the pressure to be relieved will have access through'the f not prevent a. screw driverturning of the' head 18 and thus the stem 14.

W ith the pressure normal, the one setting the f'valve should relieve the spring 10 vuntil the pressure causes the valve closure '6 to leak enough so as to permit a Vslight dripping through the outlet port 3. I/Vith Vthe parts in this position, the stem 14 should be turned so as to lower the dise 12 and tension the spring 10 and close the valve casing 6 with a pressure determined by the desired factor of safety. Ordinarily a half or single turn of the stem 14 is sufficient, in a hot water,v

heating system for example. As the stein 14 is turned, the disc 12 is lowered by a straight line movement without turning directly against spring 10, and thus the latter is tensioned without 'any twisting movement. This is important, because if the spring is tensioned by a twisting movement as well as by compression, the first operation of the valve 4will relieve the tension caused by twisting the spring and then the spring will not have its proper'adjustment for itsw safety value,

'l tight closure.

which canse the valve desired for safety purposes.' After down movement of the disc 12, the cap 16 is turned down on its threads so as to bind the disc 15 and -thus the steinll against turning. lilith the cap 1G in its holding position, it is net `possible to turn the stem 1st because the threads of the stem 1are oppositely disposed with respect tothe threads of the cap 16, and they cannot turn together because there is a binding action due-tothe arrangement of tl e parts. yIn actual practice, the cap-16 can be turned lowii to its bindingposition by hand. y

rlhe relation of the operating partsto the valve casing is such that. no one of the parts protrudes from the valve casing. surrounds and encloses allthe vital parts of the valve so that it is impossible to break off a part after the valve is in place. Furthermore, the parts are related tothe valve casing that the latter can be made of small size,

simple and attractive in appearance as compared with other specific types of safety valves. Y

To change the adjustment of the valve, some knowledge of the construction is required and this is an advantage because it prevents unauthorized or Careless tampering adjustment. rflic factthat the stem to adjust the spring is a lequ'atelyy protected by the cap and is locked in adjustedposition by the cap is important. From anextermr viewA of the valve the slotted headv of the stem suggests a means to adjust the valve. But this means cannot be operated until the lock cap is turned back to relieve the disc on the adjusting stem cooperating with the cap for locking purposes. This construction, therefore, discourages any offhand attempt to set the valve by unskilled persons and there is absolutely no .means inviting f children to monkey with the valve as there is wherever a handle is presented in prior art purposes for adjusting purposes. I consider the exterior appearance of the valve and the effective means of locking the parts in adjusted position important features of my improvements.

One of the real advantages in the temperature controlled relief means is due to the fact that the soft nose of the cartridge can be driven home to its positionand in suoli movenient will find or make its own seat for a So far as I know, I am the first to use the soft fusible metal for the double purpose of melting for opening` the valve in an emergency and for forming the valve closure to insure a tight seat for the by-pass valve. rlhat this whole arrangement can be made with a cartridge inserte-d from outside the valve casing and without in any way dis-V turbing the pressure operated safety valve parts, provides for real convenience and eiciency. The convenience of carrying extra te leali when fait thel spring has been set as described by the straight The latter,

with the mariages nii the salve itself halflang ni.'- nieans for lining them up for, insertion one by one, as a whole more vuseful than it otherwise would be. Ifl the valve blows olf on account of excess temperature,vv the means are ever present to reset the valve with a new fusibley plug.- Considering the fact that these valves as-needed, renders the 'safety valveV arev positioned witlifthe plan of Working only yimproved features of construction'.

Y vwvVliat I claim is:

l. A safety valve comprising a valve casing vprovided with aligned openings and a drain opening, a valveseat between the latter and one of the former openings, a cap' threaded on the casing to cover the other opening, a valve closure for said seat, a spring to press the closure to its seat and means to adjust the pressure of `the spring comprising stein, a disc threaded to the stem and having means cooperating with interior shoulders on the valve casing to prevent its turning, asecond disc fastV to the upper end of tliestem and adapted to rest on a ledge of the 'valvecasing' iiiposition to be bound to the casing against turning by the said cap, all of said parts being located Within the valve casing below said cap, said cap having an opening through which an operating head of said stem is presented for turning to adjust said spring.

2. A safety valve comprising a valve casing provided with three openings, one'for the inlet port having a valve seat, one for the insertion ofthe valve parts, and one for a drain port; valve parts comprising a closure for said seat, a spring for the closure and means to adjust the springpressure, a cap for the opening through which the valve` parts are inserted, said caphaving a part to bear against the adjusting means to lock the latter in adjusted position.

3. A safety valve comprisinga valve casing having a drain port, anY inlet port,an opening above the inlet port through which a valve closure, a spring therefor, and spring adjusting means may be inserted and aligned with the inlet port, a cap for said opening, cooperating means between the cap and spring adjusting means to unlock and lock 'the latter in position by movement of the capv on thevalve casing.

c 4. A safety valve comprising a valve casing having a drain port, an inlet port, an

opening above the inlet port through which a valve `closure, aspring therefor, and spring adjusting means may be inserted and aligned with the inlet port, a cap for said opening, Cooperating means between the cap and sprino' adjusting means to unlock and lockt ie latter in position by movement oi' the cap on the valve easing, said oap having an opening throughfvvhieh the spring adjusting means 4may peoperat-ed from outside the casing without reinovingthe Cap.

5. A safety valvey comprising a valve casing having a drain port, an inlet port, an opening` aloove the inlet port, a cap having serew threaded connection with the casing for the latter opening, a pressure Controlled valve closure ior the inlet port, a spring hearing on thel valve closure, spring adjusting means be-' tween the spring and cap and adapted to hear against the cap and cooperating parts of the Cap and adjusting means arranged to lock the latter in position when the eap is screwed down to holding position. l y

t5. A safety valve comprising a valve casinghaving an enlarged central portion, a

spring, a stein threaded througl'i the center or' said dise and provided with a iixed plate at the topl to rest on said ledge andextend slightly a'oove the edge ot' the upper portion,

means by Vwhich said plate may De turned, a` cap threaded te the upper portion with oppog site turns to the turns or tne threads on said stein, said cap provided with anv opening` through which said means may loe operated and with a surface to bind said plate against turning when the cap is turneddown tightly on the upper extension. l

7. A sai'ety valve eoinprisinga valve casing, an adjustable pressure operablerelief valve closure in the casing, ley-pass passage, means for pressure relier independently oi' the operation and adjustment or' the pressure operable relief valve, said means comprising a valve seat for the ley-pass passage, a eartridge with a threaded head piece and having a fusible metal nose adapted to ii'iale its elosure on said valve seat tight, said valve casing having threads in its outer wall for receiving said head piece and to permit the tightening of the ley-pass closure by manipulation of the Cartridge from without the easing.

8. The safety valve dened in claim 7Y and including a Cartridge Vcarrier on the valve easing adapted for movement to positiona i'resh cartridge into line with the lay-pass valve seat for manipulation intooperative position when the spent cartridge is removed,

In'testimony whereof I have affixed my signature. v

FREDERICK M. HOLMES. 

